Speeding Common at Scene of Bus Wreck

03/26/04

Some Effingham County students had a frightening ride home from school when their bus collided with a car. More >>

Yesterday, an Effingham County school bus taking students home after school slammed into a car on Sandhill Road. The impact destroyed the car and damaged the side of the bus. All 28 students went to the hospital as a precaution. No one suffered any serious injuries. Georgia State Patrol cited the bus driver.

But residents who live near this road say this accident comes as no surprise. They see devastating accidents there all the time. According to neighbors, accidents like the one that happened yesterday just confirm the need for better policing.

Last year, resident Karen Anaya almost lost her husband in a near-fatal accident that left him in a wheelchair. "The trucks and the cars, it's suppose to be 45 out here, they go anywhere from 60 to 70 miles per hour," she told us.

When she heard about the bus accident just down the road from her house, she knew other loved ones could be in danger. Luckily they weren't. "My niece got two bruised ribs, my nephew got a bump on his chin," she said. "They were okay, it's just the traffic's really bad."

Anaya says all too often people ignore the speed limit and end up in fatal accidents. She says it happens all the time on Effingham County roads. "There's two to three wrecks, I know, a week out here. At least one for sure," she said.

She also says, when police are present, people do obey the speed limits. The problem is that there's just not enough law enforcement to go around. "Nobody's out patrolling it," she said. "I don't think we have enough sheriffs to patrol it."

That's because the sheriff's department has lacked the funding to grow with the expanding county, which keeps residents like Anaya in fear. "I'd just like to see something done out here in Effingham County," she said.

We did speak with the Effingham County Sheriff's Office and they say they do realize this is a serious problem, and are doing the best they can, but with the limited manpower they have they're stretched to the limit.

A group of more than 50 pastors in Savannah hopes the families of murder victims can help them create positive change in the city’s violent crime. The Savannah Alliance of Pastors is holding that meeting and a prayer vigil next week.

A group of more than 50 pastors in Savannah hopes the families of murder victims can help them create positive change in the city’s violent crime. The Savannah Alliance of Pastors is holding that meeting and a prayer vigil next week.